“TWISTED TWIN” RELEASED AFTER 16 YEARS — SHE WAS JUST 16 WHEN HER MOTHER WAS KILLED

Tasmiyah Whitehead has been released on parole more than 16 years after she and her identical twin sister were convicted in the 2010 killing of their mother. Now 33, she is living under parole supervision — while her twin remains behind bars.

More than 16 years after a case shocked Georgia, one of the infamous “Twisted Twins” is back in the community.

Tasmiyah Whitehead, now 33, was released on parole from Pulaski State Prison on Aug. 5, 2026, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records cited by PEOPLE and local news reports. Her maximum parole date is listed as May 19, 2040.

The release marks a dramatic new chapter in a case that began in January 2010, when Tasmiyah and her identical twin sister, Jasmiyah, were only 16 years old.

THE MORNING EVERYTHING CHANGED

On Jan. 13, 2010, the twins were living with their mother, Jarmecca “Nikki” Whitehead, at her home in Conyers, Georgia.

According to prosecutors, the confrontation began after the girls woke up late for school.

What followed was a violent altercation involving their mother and both teenagers. Prosecutors said Nikki was struck with a cooking pot before a knife became involved.

Nikki suffered numerous wounds and was ultimately found submerged in a bathtub inside the home.

The twins then went to school.

At first, they told investigators that they had returned home and discovered their mother unresponsive.

But investigators eventually began questioning that account.

FOUR MONTHS OF QUESTIONS

Police found injuries on the twins, including scratches and bite marks, that appeared inconsistent with the story they initially gave investigators.

The sisters were eventually arrested in May 2010, roughly four months after their mother’s death.

The case became even more disturbing as investigators uncovered evidence that the teenagers had discussed the investigation and what authorities knew.

The sisters initially faced murder charges and pleaded not guilty.

But years later, both would accept plea agreements.

THE 2014 PLEA DEAL

Tasmiyah pleaded guilty in January 2014 to voluntary manslaughter, making false statements and possessing a knife during a crime.

Jasmiyah accepted the same deal the following month.

Instead of facing murder convictions, both received sentences totaling 30 years: 20 years for voluntary manslaughter, plus five years each for the weapons and false-statement charges.

Their grandmother, Lynda Whitehead, strongly criticized the sentence at the time.

She questioned how the sisters could receive a 30-year sentence with the possibility of parole after what happened to her daughter.

Her comments reflected the anger and grief that continued to surround the case years after Nikki’s death.

WHY TASMIYAH IS FREE NOW

Tasmiyah became eligible for parole in 2017.

But she did not immediately leave prison.

According to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, she remained incarcerated for approximately nine additional years before ultimately being granted release. The board determined there was a reasonable probability that she could remain in the community without violating the law.

After more than 16 years in custody, including time spent awaiting trial, Tasmiyah was released on Aug. 5.

She is now living under parole supervision.

HER TWIN IS STILL IN PRISON

Jasmiyah Whitehead remains incarcerated.

Although the sisters received the same plea agreement and the same overall 30-year sentence, their paths through the parole system have not been identical.

Jasmiyah is currently being held at a Georgia transitional facility and is expected to be considered for parole in 2028.

That means the two sisters, who were inseparable twins at the center of one of Georgia’s most notorious cases, now face very different lives.

One is outside prison under parole supervision.

The other remains behind bars.

A CASE THAT STILL HAUNTS GEORGIA

The Whitehead case has remained in the public consciousness for more than a decade because of the sisters’ age, their identical-twin relationship and the circumstances surrounding their mother’s death.

They were teenagers when the confrontation happened.

They were arrested months later.

And they ultimately spent more than 16 years in custody before Tasmiyah’s release.

Now, at 33, Tasmiyah is facing life after prison — while the name “Twisted Twins” remains permanently connected to the case that changed three lives forever.

For Nikki Whitehead’s family, however, the story never truly ended with a conviction.

And with one sister now free and the other still awaiting her next parole opportunity, the case has entered yet another chapter.